Objective

When you add a domain name to your Exchange service, you may be required to configure the CNAME entry in your DNS zone. This configuration ensures that you have admin rights for the domain name in question.

Find out about the purpose of a CNAME record, and how to add one at OVH.

Requirements

You need to have added a domain name to your Exchange service before requesting the addition of a CNAME record.

You must have the right to modify your domain name’s configuration (via its DNS zone).

Instructions

Step 1: Understand the CNAME diagnostic at OVH

The CNAME (Canonical Name) diagnostic box appears in certain cases when you declare a domain name on your Exchange service.

Its purpose is to prove that you are the admin of the domain name you would like to declare.

This diagnostic can appear for the following situations:

The domain name is not registered with OVH.

The domain name is not administrated by your NIC handle.

The domain name declared is not configured to use OVH's DNS servers.

Step 2: Retrieve the OVH CNAME information

Go to the Associated domains tab, and click on the red CNAME box to retrieve the information required.

The target of the CNAME record will appear above.

At this point, there will be two options:

If your domain uses the OVH configuration, you can make the changes listed below through your OVH Control Panel.

If your domain name does not use the OVH configuration, you must carry out the modifications through whichever interface you use to manage your domain name.

If your domain name is registered with OVH, you can check if it is using the OVH configuration in your Control Panel. To do this, go to the DNS servers tab, and select the domain name concerned.

Step 3: Create the CNAME record in the OVH configuration

Click Domains in the left-hand services bar in the Control Panel, then on the domain name concerned. Then select the DNS zone tab.

A table should appear. This will display your OVH domain’s configuration. It is made up of several DNS records, one per row in the table.

To add a CNAME record, click Add an entry.

In the window that opens, you will be offered several DNS record type. Select CNAME, then add the target from your earlier Exchange diagnostic.

Once you have entered this information, click Next. Check that the information you have entered is correct, then click Confirm.

These changes can take 4-24 hours to fully propagate.

To check that your CNAME record is correct, go back to the Associated domains table for your Exchange service. If the diagnosis box has turned green, your record is correct. If not, then the configuration changes you have made may not have fully propagated.

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